Mastering the Japanese Grammar: ことは～が (Koto wa ~ ga)

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Mastering the Japanese Grammar: ことは～が (Koto wa ~ ga)
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

‘It’s true that… but…’ or ‘Although it is… (it’s not quite…)’

🎯 Primary Function

To acknowledge a certain fact or condition while simultaneously introducing a qualification, reservation, or contrast.

📋 Grammar Structure

[Verb-Dictionary Form] ことは [Verb-Same Form] が
[I-adj] ことは [I-adj] が
[Na-adj] なことは [Na-adj] (だ/です) が
Usually not used in the negative for the first part of the pattern.

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Used in business meetings or reports to provide balanced feedback (e.g., ‘The plan is good, but costly’).

😊 Informal Situations

Very common in daily conversation when discussing tastes, abilities, or opinions.

✍️ Written Language

Used in reviews, essays, and editorial pieces.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Often used to sound more polite or objective by acknowledging the other person’s point first.

💡 Common Applications

Acknowledging a Fact
Used to concede a point before adding a contrasting opinion or qualification.
Example: 高いことは高いが、品質はいい。 (It’s true that it’s expensive, but the quality is good.)
Partial Agreement
Used when you can perform an action or agree with a state to some extent, but not fully.
Example: 読めることは読めるが、意味はわからない。 (I can read it, but I don’t understand it.)
Softening Criticism
Used to give a balanced review, starting with a positive point before mentioning a drawback.
Example: 便利なことは便利だが、ちょっと重い。 (It’s convenient, but it’s a bit heavy.)
📊
Frequency
Common in both spoken and written Japanese.
🎚️
Difficulty
JLPT N3
Tag:

Related Kanji

JLPT N3 Kanji List

Related Vocabulary

JLPT N3 Vocabulary List
Example Sentences
Example #1
美味しいことは美味しいが、値段が高すぎる。
Furigana: おい（しい）ことはおい（しい）が、ねだん（が）たか（すぎる）。
Romaji: Oishii koto wa oishii ga, nedan ga takasugiru.
English: It is delicious, but it’s a bit too expensive.
Example #2
読めることは読めるが、意味がよく分からない。
Furigana: よ（める）ことはよ（める）が、いみ（が）よ（く）わ（からない）。
Romaji: Yomeru koto wa yomeru ga, imi ga yoku wakaranai.
English: I can read it, but I don’t really understand the meaning.
Example #3
便利なことは便利だが、使いこなすのが難しい。
Furigana: べんり（な）ことはべんり（だが）、つか（い）こな（すのが）むずか（しい）。
Romaji: Benri na koto wa benri da ga, tsukaikonasu no ga muzukashii.
English: It is convenient, but it’s difficult to master.
Example #4
行けることは行けるが、少し遅れるかもしれない。
Furigana: い（ける）ことはい（ける）が、すこ（し）おく（れるかもしれない）。
Romaji: Ikeru koto wa ikeru ga, sukoshi okureru kamoshirenai.
English: I can go, but I might be a little late.
Example #5
安いことは安いが、質があまり良くない。
Furigana: やす（い）ことはやす（い）が、しつ（があまり）よ（くない）。
Romaji: Yasui koto wa yasui ga, shitsu ga amari yokunai.
English: It is cheap, but the quality isn’t very good.
Example #6
わかったことはわかったが、まだ不安だ。
Furigana: わ（かった）ことはわ（かった）が、まだふあん（だ）。
Romaji: Wakatta koto wa wakatta ga, mada fuan da.
English: I understood, but I’m still a bit anxious.
Example #7
綺麗なことは綺麗だが、私の好みではない。
Furigana: きれい（な）ことはきれい（だが）、わたし（の）この（みではない）。
Romaji: Kirei na koto wa kirei da ga, watashi no konomi de wa nai.
English: She is beautiful, but she’s not really my type.
Example #8
日本語が話せることは話せるが、ペラペラではない。
Furigana: にほんご（が）はな（せる）ことははな（せる）が、ペラペラ（ではない）。
Romaji: Nihongo ga hanaseru koto wa hanaseru ga, perapera de wa nai.
English: I can speak Japanese, but I’m not fluent.
Example #9
この本は面白いことは面白いが、長すぎる。
Furigana: このほん（は）おもしろ（い）ことはおもしろ（い）が、なが（すぎる）。
Romaji: Kono hon wa omoshiroi koto wa omoshiroi ga, nagasugiru.
English: This book is interesting, but it’s way too long.
Example #10
料理を作ったことは作ったが、味に自信がない。
Furigana: りょうり（を）つく（った）ことはつく（った）が、あじ（に）じしん（がない）。
Romaji: Ryouri o tsukutta koto wa tsukutta ga, aji ni jishin ga nai.
English: I did cook the food, but I’m not confident about the taste.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Repetition is Key
The same verb or adjective is repeated to emphasize the concession.
Example: できたことはできたが、時間がかかった。
Politeness Balance
The politeness of the sentence is determined by the final verb/adjective.
Example: 美味しいことは美味しいですが…

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ 綺麗ことは綺麗だが…
✅ 綺麗なことは綺麗だが…
For Na-adjectives, you must include ‘na’ before ‘koto wa’.
❌ 美味しいことはいいが…
✅ 美味しいことは美味しいが…
The same word must be repeated before and after ‘koto wa’.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Medium. It sounds more considered and less blunt than just using ‘ga’ or ‘demo’.
Social Situations: Common when one wants to avoid sounding purely negative by first admitting the positive side of something.
Regional Variations: Standard across Japan.

🔍 Subtle Differences

～が / ～けれど (Ga / Keredo)
‘Koto wa ~ ga’ is more emphatic about conceding the first point before moving to the ‘but’. It sounds more nuanced than a simple ‘but’.
When to use: Use ‘Koto wa ~ ga’ when you want to specifically acknowledge a point that might be obvious or previously mentioned.

📝 Conjugation Notes

The first part usually uses the dictionary form (for verbs) or the ‘na’ form (for na-adjectives). The second part can be conjugated into past tense or polite forms depending on the sentence ending.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

There is usually a slight pause after ‘wa’ and ‘ga’ to emphasize the contrast.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of it as ‘The fact (koto) that it is [X] exists, BUT…’. This helps remember the ‘koto wa’ structure as ‘As for the fact of…’

Other Grammar

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